Immature olfactory sensory neurons provide behaviourally relevant sensory input to the olfactory bulb
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Postnatal neurogenesis provides an opportunity to understand how newborn neurons integrate into circuits to restore function. Newborn olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) wire into highly organized olfactory bulb (OB) circuits throughout life, enabling lifelong plasticity and regeneration. Immature OSNs form functional synapses capable of evoking firing in OB projection neurons but what contribution, if any, they make to odor processing is unknown. Here, we show that immature OSNs provide odor input to the mouse OB, where they form monosynaptic connections with excitatory neurons. Importantly, immature OSNs respond as selectively to odorants as mature OSNs and exhibit graded responses across a wider range of odorant concentrations than mature OSNs, suggesting that immature and mature OSNs provide distinct odor input streams. Furthermore, mice can successfully perform odor detection and discrimination tasks using sensory input from immature OSNs alone. Together, our findings suggest that immature OSNs play a previously unappreciated role in olfactory-guided behavior.
Source: Nature Communications
Institutions: University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University
Language: English
Subfield: Sensory Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,890
Awards: G2517996577, Predoctoral Training in Basic Neuroscience, The role of immature olfactory sensory neurons in olfactory processing and plasticity, G7536113012, G7564572884, G8336523208, Training in the Neurobiology of Neurological Disease, Functional integration of newborn olfactory sensory neurons in the healthy and regenerating olfactory system
OpenAlex ID: W4306795916